REQUESTED FOR COMMENTS

[dristikon18]

I am new to wild life photography. I kindly requested the comments for my below photo which I have taken with Nikon D5300 camera body + 200-500mm Lens (SHOT AT 1/1250 sec. f/8 500mm, ISO 360) handhold.

I also kindly request guidance regarding taking sharp photos with this camera D5300 + 200-500mm lens, handhold condition




photo taken on early morning on 2 Dec 2018

Regards,

 

[Tim Reidy Productions]

you did sharp enough for this subject.

I don't like the crop in this photo, but that is my only objection to it.

 

[embie]

Nice shot, well done !

No comments on this.

eMBie

 

[Ellis Vener]

I am new to wild life photography. I kindly requested the comments for my below photo which I have taken with Nikon D5300 camera body + 200-500mm Lens (SHOT AT 1/1250 sec. f/8 500mm, ISO 360) handhold.

I also kindly request guidance regarding taking sharp photos with this camera D5300 + 200-500mm lens, handhold condition


photo taken on early morning on 2 Dec 2018

Regards,

You will find the following e-book invaluable to understanding how to get the most out of your Nikon camera's autofocus system. https://backcountrygallery.com/secrets-nikon-autofocus-system/

I found it very useful for maximizing iimage quality with my D850.

--
Ellis Vener
To see my work please visit http://www.ellisvener.com
Or on instagram @therealellisv

 

[bjn70]

The bird is not in sharp focus. There are some twigs to the left of the bird that are sharper but I can't tell if they are behind the bird or in front of the bird. You should do some tests to see if your lens is focusing accurately. You can't adjust this with your camera but you might be able to compensate with your technique depending on which way it is off.

With that much lens, even with VR, you have to be careful with shutter speed and camera support. I try to use 1/250 or 1/500 with 400mm, since you have a crop sensor camera you need faster than that. In this image I don't notice movement blur of the twigs but the highlight in the bird's eye looks like it might have movement blur. Another reason for using a high shutter speed is that birds are almost never completely still. You can somewhat compensate for this by setting your camera in continuous mode and taking a 3 shot burst then picking the best from them.

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks a lot

Regards

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks a lot for the valuable advice.

May I request for some advice for taking photo in handhold with my d5300 + 200-500mm lens

Regards

 

[Reilly Diefenbach]

The classic Nikon bird recipe:

Manual mode, Auto ISO, no limit

Back button AF (assign AFS/AFC button.) No shutter button focus.

AF C 9 points.

Release Priority.

1/1000 for perched birds, keep firing, down to about 1/250th to get as low an ISO as possible.

1/2000-1/3000 for BIFs.

Your bird is out of focus. Select single point and put it on the head for sitting birds, especially when there are branches in front as above. Focus single point, then release the AF On button, move the frame if necessary then fire.

Use noise reduction selectively to denoise the background:




Tricolor

 

[bjn70]

May I request for some advice for taking photo in handhold with my d5300 + 200-500mm lens

You are on the right track with the image you posted meaning in the 1/1000 sec range. If you want to spend the time you can do experiments with your lens at different shutter speeds to see what speed it takes for you to get sharp images. Using image stabilization you could probably go to lower shutter speeds than 1/1000. The other aspect as mentioned is that the birds themselves move around a lot so I think it takes about 1/500 to control that.

One thing I see people recommend is to brace your elbows against your body to help hold the camera steady. The other recommendation I see is to take shots in bursts. This way you have a better chance of getting one show where the camera and the bird are both still.

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks a lot for kind comment and advice

Regards,

Debasish Mukherjee

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks

Regards,

Debasish Mukherjee

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks a lot for kind comment and advice

Regards,

Debasish Mukherjee

 

[dristikon18]

Thanks a lot for kind comment and advice

Regards,

Debasish Mukherjee

 

[Badwater]

I am new to wild life photography. I kindly requested the comments for my below photo which I have taken with Nikon D5300 camera body + 200-500mm Lens (SHOT AT 1/1250 sec. f/8 500mm, ISO 360) handhold.

I also kindly request guidance regarding taking sharp photos with this camera D5300 + 200-500mm lens, handhold condition

Regards,

There are tons of wildife tutorials videos online. Some are really detailed. That would be the place to look for information. The information you can get will help you understand and know what to look for and how to set up a shot. vs us telling you what to do with that photo. Give those tutorials a look. There are many to choose from, and from there you can learn what and how to shoot the wildlife.


Happy hunting and have a great holiday.

 

[NikonNature]

The classic Nikon bird recipe:

Manual mode, Auto ISO, no limit

Back button AF (assign AFS/AFC button.) No shutter button focus.

AF C 9 points.

Release Priority.

1/1000 for perched birds, keep firing, down to about 1/250th to get as low an ISO as possible.

1/2000-1/3000 for BIFs.

Your bird is out of focus. Select single point and put it on the head for sitting birds, especially when there are branches in front as above. Focus single point, then release the AF On button, move the frame if necessary then fire.

Use noise reduction selectively to denoise the background:


Tricolor

^^^ This is an excellent summary. ^^^

Sharp images are the result of accurate focus, SS fast enough to freeze movements (yours and the subject's), and having enough pixels on the subject to capture detail (i.e.: not having to crop too deeply).

Accurate focus: Use the right focus mode - single point when the setting is busy, otherwise small group area (e.g.: 9 pt). Use AF-C with back button. AF fine tune is on a case by case basis.

Shutter Speed: At 500mm on 1.5x crop body you are effectively at 750mm. At least in the beginning, go with 1/1000s as a minimum. Work on your hand holding technique.


Cropping: The closer you are, the larger the subject will be in the frame. That means more pixels, more resolution and detail, easier and more accurate focus.

Mode: Use whatever suits you, but Manual with Auto-ISO is very flexible. You can control SS and Aperture and the camera handles ISO. You can use Exposure Compensation to handle odd lighting situations, like a dark subject against a bright sky.

--
Jeff

Jeff Loomis

Explore Jeff Loomis’s 1,058 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[Sactojim]

Very good start!

In addition to what others have advised, try some shots in HDR if bird(s) are static and not moving. I've had some good results with it. Keep in mind that a "keeper rate" when shooting birds can vary greatly with movement, lighting, brush, etc. and don't worry if your keeper rate is 25% or less..just delete the ones you don't like..easy.

Almost forgot to add: don't be a shutter button masher and try using a technique like I use to shoot my rifles: slow exhale to calm your hands/body and a gently push of the shutter. Good luck and hope to see more of your photos.

 

[David5833]

Another suggestion is to position yourself so that the tree branches are farther separated from the bird. Moving to your left and shooting from a slightly lower angle might have made a more effective composition against more sky and made it easier for your autofocus to lock in on the bird. Use the branches to point at the bird but not to clutter up the composition. It is as much about all of the elements surrounding the subject as it is about the subject itself.

 

[Nikon33]

I am new to wild life photography. I kindly requested the comments for my below photo which I have taken with Nikon D5300 camera body + 200-500mm Lens (SHOT AT 1/1250 sec. f/8 500mm, ISO 360) handhold.

I also kindly request guidance regarding taking sharp photos with this camera D5300 + 200-500mm lens, handhold condition


photo taken on early morning on 2 Dec 2018

Regards,

I do like the photo. I do believe your focus point strayed to one of the branches. But the softness could be because of the cropping, and the fact that all photos posted to the forum here are compressed heavily.

 

[neoofmatrix]

The classic Nikon bird recipe:

Great Advice !

 

[dristikon18]

The classic Nikon bird recipe:

Manual mode, Auto ISO, no limit

Back button AF (assign AFS/AFC button.) No shutter button focus.

AF C 9 points.

Release Priority.

1/1000 for perched birds, keep firing, down to about 1/250th to get as low an ISO as possible.

1/2000-1/3000 for BIFs.

Your bird is out of focus. Select single point and put it on the head for sitting birds, especially when there are branches in front as above. Focus single point, then release the AF On button, move the frame if necessary then fire.

Use noise reduction selectively to denoise the background:


Tricolor

Dear Sir,

This has reference to my earlier post for request of comments and your kind guidance against the same.

I kindly request for comments on my 3 photos which was recently clicked


CLICKED AT 8:22 AM ON 1JAN19, { 500MM (NIKON 200-500MM LENS), NIKON D5300 BODY, f/8, SUTTER SPEED 1/1250; ISO:720; MATRIX METERING, AF-S; AF AREA MODE : SINGLE WHITE BALANCE: AUTO


CLICKED AT 7:50 AM ON 1JAN19, { 500MM (NIKON 200-500MM LENS), NIKON D5300 BODY, f/5.6, SUTTER SPEED 1/800; ISO:720; MATRIX METERING, AF-S; AF AREA MODE : SINGLE; WHITE BALANCE: AUTO


CLICKED AT 8:32 AM ON 1JAN19, { 500MM (NIKON 200-500MM LENS), NIKON D5300 BODY, f/8, SUTTER SPEED 1/1250; ISO:360; MATRIX METERING, AF-S; AF AREA MODE : SINGLE; WHITE BALANCE: AUTO